Having spent much of his life in Katherine, Mr Buckerfield has seen the region prosper and is one of the many who are proud to be a local.

"I had a brilliant childhood in Katherine, there was so much to do and it's given me a good grounding," he said.

"People would say as a child there's not much to do in Katherine but now you would be a fool to say that with what's on offer.

"I have a lot of pride coming from Katherine."

In order to enact change, Mr Buckerfield believes that it begins with the individual and should he be elected, said the 'inward' growth would focus on the environment.

"To enact change within the community we have to start by looking at ourselves as individuals," he said.

"It's about growing inwards and focusing on the basics, restoring a sense of community pride and support, and also personal responsibility, accountability and awareness.

"Everyone forgets they contribute to our landfill. People can make a small change by basically sorting out their rubbish.

"Things you can compost, don't put them in landfill, put them in your garden. Reuse jars, there's so many little things we can do.

"Our expectations and demands have become unrealistic and we are unaware of the limitations of the council as the lowest tier of government.

"If we take responsibility for ourselves then it is fine to start looking at the bigger picture."

Mr Buckerfield was encouraged to stand for council by a friend, Jeremy Trembath who is also in the running, and said should they both hold a position on council, "rather than letting the world drive us mad, at least we can go mad trying to make change."

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